


Locked Books

by Who_First



Category: Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Books can be bad, Gen, Lovecraftian, Ratings to change, look away you poor fool, tags to change, team fic, the book is looking back
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-30
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 19:25:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1869552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Who_First/pseuds/Who_First
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Locks are there for reasons that aren't immediately obvious to the casual observer, or a team not used to subtle fear that crawls in through the back door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Locked Books

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning most chapters will be short since I'm going to try posting them as quicker instead of waiting for longer word counts and getting sidetracked. There's already another 1000~ very fragmented words

When Sheppard’s team came back through the gate at a steady walk people tended to stare, if only because it was such a rare event. Usually they came through quicker, and with spears following.

A steady walk just doesn’t quite outpace most mobs of vengeful natives out for blood.

Evan eyes their casual stance and hoped this didn’t mean something worse would be happening to himself later. Though judging by McKay’s lack of flailing hands, and the pinched annoyed look on his face, which was different from the pinched annoyed ‘leave me alone while I save the world with my giant brain’ face, well there probably hadn’t been any interesting Ancient tech.

“Safe trip, Colonel?” Evan asked blandly from the side as they approached the embarkment room’s exit.

“Eh,” Sheppard’s usual complete lack of any care face was on, without the usual tense shoulders, completely ignoring as McKay started ranting. “Lotta Ancient locks. Cleaned out lab. Lack of Wraith. Pretty good day.”

“What kind of moron uses that many locks to hide dust?” McKay’s face was approaching his ‘why have you wasted my time minion’ face. “I could have been studying actual tech.”

“Now Rodney,” Sheppard smirked, that was the eye gleam that meant he was having fun pissing his scientist off. “We didn’t return empty handed. Just the other day you mentioned how important books are.”

“Important books,” McKay snarled, stomping past. “Not trash wrapped in disgusting leather. Who knows what kind of lethal germs are on it.”

Evan was at the perfect place to see the look of horror and panic cross the scientist’s face.

“Oh god, I need to see Carson!”

The military men watched in silence as he raced off, looking completely healthy if out of shape, in the corner of his eye Evan could see Ronan smirking while Teyla merely took the moment to close her eyes.  Shepperd handing off a wrapped bundle stopped his observations, and earned Shepperd the questioning eyebrow.

“So, present for the linguists.” Shepperd smirked lazily, “Until it interests someone more important.”

Evan rolled his eyes, accepting the passed object, while his commanding officer made his escape with his tall and lethal shadow. Whereas the nice one was waiting for him, missing her jacket which was interesting, but the hesitant look on her face was new.

“Can I help you, Teyla?”

“Major…” Teyla’s usually calm and pleasant face was showed unease, and possibly other emotions, but Evan didn’t know her well enough to say what. “Please be careful with that book.”

The eyebrow rose on cue. He hadn’t even seen it yet and the book was causing problems.

“I did not wish to alarm Rodney, nor John…” She hesitated, eyes darting down to the object in his hands and back up. “But I do not believe that book is bound in animal hide. It feels… worrying.”

Evan frowned, then he looked down and realized that Teyla’s missing SGC jacket was the fabric wrapped around the ‘book’, and started pulling the sleeves off.

It felt… oily. Evan’s frowned deepened as he let his fingers rubbed at the odd colored not leather. It was a pale tan, almost olivey but so pale. It reminded him off the time he and his team had to shave off all their body hair for a ceremonial evening. 

Long story.

“Teyla…” Evan stiffened, skin starting to crawl, tiny hairs on the back of his neck raising against his will. He pulled his fingers off the odd leather, the papers stuffed in randomly looked like it was made from the same source. His stomach dropped.

“Are you saying this is human skin?”

She shrugged helplessly. One of the few human habit’s she’d embraced happily, biting her lip instead of answering, the tight question.

“Please be careful Evan Lorne.” Her jaw tightened, eyes glancing again at the book and away. “It feels dangerous.”

He watched her walk away, moving quickly after her team, and glanced around the room himself. It was quieter. The normal buzz of conversation and movements of the normal Atlantis day, but it felt subdued. And he saw more than one person, marine and scientist, glancing or frowning in his direction.

As he started walking even more people glanced over. Not at him, but in his area, like something was walking on their shadows, or treading on their graves. However the old phrase went about illogical fears and feelings of unease; leading to people unconsciously backing away in avoidance.

And all that unease was directed at the book in his hands as he moved past.

 


End file.
